What’s the Largest Catfish Ever Caught in Kentucky?

It's National Catfish Day! Admittedly, this random national holiday was created to "celebrate the value of farm-raised catfish." However, I grew up with grandparents who had a lake that was stocked full of catfish. Fishing was something we did at their house, the surrounding pay lakes, Rough River, the mighty Ohio and any other body of water we thought they were swimming around in.

The fact that it's National Catfish Day made me wonder. What's the largest catfish that was ever caught here in Kentucky? I figured I could fish that off the internet with a quick Google search. Turns out, I did!

According to the website BestFishingInAmerica.com, the largest blue catfish ever caught in Kentucky weighed 106.9 pounds. It was pulled from the Ohio River. That fish was reeled in by Glynn Grogan from Arlington, Kentucky. Believe it or not, that big catch wasn't all that long ago. Glynn hooked that monster on October 20th, 2018.

In case you're wondering, the largest blue catfish ever caught in the United States was plucked out of Kerr Lake in Virginia. Kerr Lake, also known as Buggs Island Lake, is a reservoir of the Roanoke River. Richard Nicholas Anderson wrangled in a catfish from it that weighed 143 pounds!

Get our free mobile app

The second and third largest blue catfish ever caught aren't that far behind. The second biggest blue catfish was caught in the Mississippi River in Mississippi. That particular cat weighed an astounding 131 pounds.

And, look! There must be something in that particular body of water. The third largest blue catfish in history was caught upriver in Missouri. That catfish weighed a whopping 130 pounds.

If you're curious about other fishing records here in Kentucky, you can check out the full list on the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife website. The awards cover everything from bass to carp to catfish and more.